The roar of the Iris Ruins faded, replaced by a heavy, suffocating stillness. It was not a peace that calmed the nerves, but one that gnawed at them. The air was no longer a gentle breeze; it had become a crushing weight, as if the particles of time had turned into lead. Eiji stood amidst the wreckage, his body trembling with suppressed shudders. His left eye— the "Mark" that felt more like a curse than a gift—flickered with a restless purple light, reflecting the fierce battle raging within the corridors of his soul.
Eiji (his voice choked, pressing his hands against his head as if to stop a flood of dark thoughts): "I can't stand this... my mind can't process it. My father? The man who taught me the simplest details of life, who shared stories of history with me... is Akira? The entity crushing dimensions with such coldness? I can't believe it. I just want to disappear. I'll go back to my room, bury my face in my pillow, away from this truth that burns me."
Atsurai (stepping toward him softly, placing a hand on his shoulder with tender pity): "Eiji, listen to me. What you're feeling isn't weakness; it's a natural human reaction. Running away right now isn't cowardice—it's a need to repair what has been shattered inside you. Go back to your world. Breathe in the familiar scent of your home. Your pulse is in complete chaos, and that is exactly what the Overlord is betting on. He wants you broken, void of balance. Go now, and we will begin again when the storm in your chest subsides."
Taiso (in a dignified tone veiled in regret, glancing at his grandson with a silent apology): "Go, my boy. We will stay here, watching the rifts and preparing what we can. Do not return to us until you are capable of standing once more. We are waiting for you, and our bet on you remains."
With a weak nod, Eiji tore open a blue temporal gateway. A glow erupted, pulling him away from the ruins. In an instant, he found himself in the middle of his room. The same posters on the walls, the same books on the desk—but something in the atmosphere felt alien. He collapsed onto his bed, burying his face in the covers, letting out a muffled scream that condensed the bitterness of a betrayal no time could heal.
---
It wasn't long before the door opened quietly, and Miyoko entered. Her steps were cautious, as if she sensed an invisible weight resting upon her son's chest. A strange energy, a scent like lightning and gunpowder, filled the room.
Miyoko (her voice trembling with worry, sitting beside him and stroking his hair): "Eiji... my son... what is happening? I am your mother, and I know the tone of your sorrow before you even speak. What is tearing you apart like this? What is happening in that other world? Tell me, don't leave me in this confusion."
Eiji (bursting into tears, lifting his head to see her pale face): "Mom... the truth is more hideous than we imagined. Grandfather Taiso told me everything. Dad... Akira... isn't just a scientist traveling for ruins. He is the Overlord of Echoes. He is our true enemy, the one who wants to erase everything!"
Miyoko (freezing in place, her features turning ashen as she whispered in shock): "No... that's not possible. Akira? My husband? He always told me his work served history... how could he be the one trying to destroy it?"
Miyoko collapsed beside the bed, covering her face and sinking into a sob that tore through the silence. Words of self-blame began to stumble from her lips.
Miyoko (in a broken voice full of self-reproach): "It's all because of me. I'm the one who let him into our lives. If I hadn't believed his lies, if I hadn't given him my heart, we wouldn't be here. Because of me, my parents were deceived, and because of my stupidity, you are suffering now. I am the one who betrayed the family without knowing!"
Suddenly, a soft golden light emanated from Eiji's Mark, and the spirit of Grandmother Elara manifested. Her voice was like a hymn of peace from a distant time.
Elara (calm and powerful): "Miyoko! My daughter, stop blaming yourself. The choices Akira made are his responsibility alone. What is happening now is an extension of the sins of the past started by me and your father, Taiso. We are the ones who left the doors ajar. Do not carry a guilt that is not yours to hold."
The spirit of the grandmother surrounded Miyoko with warmth until she slowly regained her composure. She began to absorb the bitter truth that would change their lives forever. Just before the spirit faded, the sound of the front door lock was heard. Elara vanished instantly, and an eerie silence fell over the house.
---
Akira entered the house, his features calm as usual—a calmness Eiji now saw as terrifying. Miyoko tried to hold herself together, but the trembling of her hands as she set the table betrayed her. Eiji emerged from his room in resignation to greet his father, but the looks they exchanged were entirely different this time.
Eiji stared at his father with eyes void of warmth—a mixture of suppressed rage and silent disgust. Akira, a master of reading souls, noticed the change, but continued to play the role of the caring father.
Akira (with a cold smile and a tone that sounded natural but provocative): "Eiji, you look exhausted today. Was school difficult? Or are your side interests starting to take more effort than they should?"
At the dinner table, the air was charged with electricity. Akira tried to open trivial conversations to break the ice.
Akira (cutting his food coldly): "How are your grades? And have you thought about the trip your friends planned? Youth passes quickly, and you must live your moments before they are lost."
Eiji (in a dry voice, without touching his plate): "I'm not hungry. And I'm not going anywhere. I feel very tired; I'm going to rest."
Miyoko was completely silent, looking at Akira as if she were watching a stranger behind a familiar mask. Eiji didn't wait for a reply; he left the table quickly, leaving behind an unbearable weight.
---
Akira and Miyoko remained alone. Akira placed his utensils down slowly and gave her a look that pierced her feigned calm.
Akira (in a sinister tone carrying a hidden threat): "Miyoko, what is wrong with you two tonight? You and Eiji are acting as if you've seen a ghost. Is there something strange happening with Eiji lately? Tell me, I don't want my son hiding anything from me."
Miyoko (gathering her strength and forcing herself to stand firm): "Nothing, dear... just exhaustion. Eiji is going through the usual teenage pressures; there's nothing to worry about. Everything is fine."
Akira (Internal thought, coldly): "She's lying... her heartbeats are screaming with fear. She's trying to protect him, and I like that. Without her emotional weakness toward him, I won't be able to break his rhythm as fast as I want."
---
That night, Eiji's sleep was not sleep, but a journey through hell. He drowned in a nightmare fashioned from his deepest fears. He saw himself in the dimension of "The Void," under a black sky with drifting ash. His father appeared, not in civilian clothes, but as the Overlord in his dark majesty.
In the dream, Akira advanced toward Miyoko, who was bound by chains of black energy. With cold blood, he raised a power dagger shimmering with the spark of the Void. As she screamed and pleaded for help from a helpless Eiji, he struck her down before his eyes.
Eiji (screaming in his dream with a despair that tore his throat): "NOOOOO! Stop! Dad... please don't touch her!"
Eiji woke suddenly, his body drenched in sweat, his breath hitching as if he were fleeing a monster. His heart hammered in his chest. He looked at the clock; the sun had begun to creep through the curtains. He was already late for school, but the nightmare remained stuck in his memory like a permanent tattoo.
---
At school, Eiji was like a body without a soul. He didn't hear a word from the teachers; his eyes were lost in a distant void. Aiko found him in the hallway and noticed his withered state immediately.
Aiko (with eagerness and concern, holding his hand): "Eiji! What's wrong? You look as if you haven't tasted sleep in an eternity. Your face is pale and your eyes tell terrifying stories... what is really going on with you?"
Eiji (trying to feign calm, smiling weakly): "Don't worry, Aiko. Just a silly nightmare that chased sleep away. I'll be fine after some coffee; don't trouble yourself over me."
He returned home that evening and locked his room. As he was lost in thought, his phone suddenly vibrated—but the vibration emitted a strong pulsating blue light, and the portal symbol appeared on the screen.
Atsurai's voice (via the connection, distorted by interference): "Eiji! Listen to me! Things are accelerating dangerously. Akira has begun to plant seeds of corruption in the fabric of your reality. You must return to the training dimension immediately! We are running out of time... we will begin the final, decisive training. We are waiting for you... do not be a single second late!"
Eiji closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt the coldness of decision running through his veins. The time had come to face the destiny he had tried to flee.